News

Current information and news around the Native American community.

August

Carlisle United Methodist Church hosted a group of members on pilgrimage in August, 2026, whose activities included a planned tour of the Carlisle Baracks highlighting the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and a Q&A on the history Carlisle Indian School led by Circle Legacy Center Carlisle descendants and executive director, followed by a presentation on the Carlisle Digital Resource Center and Center for The Futures or Native People by our friends from Dickinson College. Finally, the interactive history presentation, Loss of Turtle Island, was facilitated by CLC and members of the United Methodist Council on Native American Ministries.

July

The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery paid a visit to the our region. Circle Legacy Center facilitated a tour of Carlisle Barracks, highlighting the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School for 63 members from across the country in July/August, 2026. The Coalition, was convening for their annual conference.

The Weaver Awards, hosted by the Lancaster County Community Foundation, received nominations for both Circle Legacy Center and CLC President, MaryAnn Robins, in July, 2026. The Weaver Awards celebrate individuals and small organizations in Lancaster County who are working to create common understanding, bridge differences, and build community. Awards will be announced at the awards ceremony on October 1, 2026.

UNITY, United National Indian Tribal Youth, has elected, CLC Youth Ambassador, Nathan Solorio, to lead the organization as 2026-’27 National Co-President. One male and one female Native youth leader are elected annually. Grant funding allowed CLC to send a cohort of four youth and one chaperone to attend the national UNITY conference in July, 2026. These youth join Nathan as the start of the new Circle Legacy Center Youth Collective, and initiative to create intergenerational engagement and support the next generation of community leaders.

June

Long-time CLC friend, Charles Fox, journalist and photographer most known for his work with the Philadelphia Inquirer and reporting on Carlisle Indian School for ICT published two articles in Indian Country Today in June, 2026. The ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ Lost: A Friendship Found and Hershey family ancestors understood the loss of homelands relate complex stories of local Indigenous history. Chip also won an Indigenous Journalists Association Award in July, 2026, for Best Coverage of Indigenous communities in print and/or online in the associate division for “A Soul on Ice: The quest for recognition after 100 years for hockey great Taffy Abel.”

Reckoning with Lancaster received additional support from Franklin & Marshall College allowing our research on the entanglement of Lancaster and F&M with the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. A group of four Hackman Summer Scholars were hired to investigate an additional sixteen Carlisle students sent on outing in Lancaster. We are grateful to Alissa, Cecelia, Natalia, and Ruby for bringing this pioneering research project closer to completion, to Lynette for meaningful engagement with the families of our Hopi students, and as always, to Professor Levine for her steadfast commitment to our partnership.

More to come! Until we meet on the trail, be kind to each other, be safe and be well.

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